Diageo re-enters cider market with Rockshore launch

Ireland | Third time lucky? Competition among cider brands is set to intensify, as Diageo has launched a new brand to challenge C&C’s Bulmers and Heineken’s Orchard Thieves.

Diageo, which owns the Guinness brand, has tried to challenge the cider duopoly of C&C and Heineken in Ireland twice before, but those attempts – including Hudson Blue and Cashel’s – were not crowned with success.

The launch of Diageo’s Rockshore Cider in March 2019 builds on the visibility of Rockshore Lager, a new brand in the Irish beer market, which came out in early 2018.

Rockshore Cider is set to take on the established brands Bulmers (from C&C with about 50 percent of the Irish cider market) and Orchard Thieves (from Heineken Ireland, which now enjoys around 15 percent). Orchard Thieves was introduced in 2015.

Sales of cider generated over EUR 60 million (USD 72 million) in excise revenue for the Republic of Ireland in 2017, it was reported.

The global cider market has gradually risen to 26 million hl globally in 2017,  with western Europe accounting for 14 million hl alone, according to a report by GlobalData (2018). Per capita consumption of cider is highest in the UK and Ireland at around 15 litres. The UK market was 9.8 million hl in 2017, the Irish market 691,000 hl.  

Rockshore’s appearance will not please C&C, whose profits from Ireland account for about 35 percent of group profit.